The Mrs. United States 25th Anniversary Pageant was such an amazing experience that I am so thankful to have the opportunity to represent the great state of Virginia!
After our Check-In on Sunday, all 54 delegates got right to work learning the opening number and different walk patterns for each phase of competition. Our choreographer was the amazing Natalie Carson who I've previously worked with at Cinderella International. Natalie is so vibrate and talented and was a joy to work with.
The delegates exchanged gifts at a gift exchange, which by the way- was a blast! We all bonded over the fun and interesting goodies from each state. We were then treated to a special showing of "Menopause Monologues"! It was fun to get all dolled up and head out on the Las Vegas Strip with the ladies to see the show. It was hilarious and the musicians were amazing!
The next event on the list was my personal interview. Our interviews were set up alphabetically and therefore I was near the bottom. My interview wasn't until about 10:30 PM, luckily I squeezed a nap in before! I felt really good about my interview and was most excited to be asked about my husband's service and life as a Navy wife!
Preliminary competition was up next! I did my best in each category and left it all on the stage. The rest was up to the judges! Before final competition, I told my self that whatever happened was meant to happen and would not define me. Whether I won, or did not place, the important thing was that I made it to Nationals being ME, and the rest was just icing on the cake!
I was not called into the Top 12 Finalist, but to be honest, I was absolutely content with the situation! I knew that being in Top 12 wasn't meant for my path, and my next goal was to be a helping hand, and a Christian woman and help the two delegates from my dressing room continue on their path!
Mrs. Puerto Rico and Mrs. Virgin Islands were called to the top 12 as well as my good friend Mrs. Florida and my roommate Mrs. New Jersey! I rushed back stage to help my "dressing roommates" into their next phase of competition, swimsuit! The girls rocked it!
Unfortunately, as she came back to change into her evening gown, we noticed Mrs. Virginia Island's dress broke!!! It was a frantic 2 minutes...but after some switching around, I was more than happy to lend her my competition gown. She looked AMAZING!! I was so thankful to be given the opportunity to lend a hand and show my faith in action. I am also very thankful to Kate Mack for letting me borrow an extra dress, or I would have gone naked!! LOL !
As we all took the stage for final awards and crowning, I was so excited to see one of my new sisters to be crowned! I was over the moon when Mrs. Virginia Islands was called 4th runner up!! I knew then that it was my path to help Lisa in that instance, and I was happy being right where I was meant to be.
Congratulations to the Top 5 Finalists and to Shannon Ford, our new Mrs. United States 2011!
I am so honored and proud to know each of you!
The morning after the pageant Charles and I enjoyed a large breakfast and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sights of Vegas! It was an awesome experience and I only hope I made all of you proud!
Check out my photos from the week and keep checking back for my latest events and appearances!
Love Always,
Katie Barrie
Mrs. Virginia United States 2011
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